Boar Parmesan Recipe by Dai Due's Jesse Griffiths

In his second book, Jesse Griffiths, wild game hunter and chef/owner of Dai Due, has created a definitive field guide to hunting feral hogs.

The huge 420-page Hog Book features how-to info on processing and butchering wild boars with step-by-step photography from award-winning Jody Horton, plus history, hunting stories, and safety practices. Even better, it includes over 100 recipes from sausage making to side dishes. Here he shares the Boar Parmesan recipe from Hog Book. (Please see this week’s feature for a Q & A with Griffiths.)

Boar Parmesan

“I think the trick with Parmesan is to not cover the cutlet completely with sauce, but leave a crisp edge exposed, presenting 2 contrasting textures. I don’t serve this with pasta, but rather some vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans or sautéed greens. You can also plop the whole saucy, cheesy cutlet onto a toasted sesame roll for a nice boar parmesan sandwich.

Follow the basic protocol for breading and cooking cutlets, but add a few dashes of granulated garlic and ¼ cup (21 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano to the breadcrumb mixture, if you like. Meanwhile, have ready this simple tomato sauce.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Makes about 4 cups (946 ml)
3 tablespoons (42 g) olive oil
4–6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
A couple sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves only, or a big pinch of dried oregano
2 14-ounce (397 g) cans of quality tomatoes
Salt
Pinch of sugar

To assemble:

1 pound cutlets, breaded (see cheese and garlic addition above) and fried in olive oil
Basic Tomato Sauce, see above
Olive oil
6 ounces (170 g) fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and oregano. Cook until fragrant, but not browned, about 30–60 seconds. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Rinse out the can with about a cup (240 g) of water and add that, too. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and further crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon for about 30 minutes, adding a little more water if the sauce looks dry. If you want a perfectly smooth sauce, blend it after allowing it to cool. Set aside or refrigerate.

To assemble, preheat the broiler to high. Pan fry the cutlets in olive oil and drain well. Place the cutlets in one layer in a shallow pan or baking sheet, then top evenly with the tomato sauce, leaving some exposed edges. To this, add slices of fresh mozzarella and a nice dusting of Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, please). Broil until browned and bubbling, about 2–4 minutes."